Backyard Sauna: Where to Put It, What to Build It On, and How to Power It

A backyard sauna is one of the few home projects where the hardest decisions come before you order anything. The cabin itself arrives as a kit. What decides whether it is a pleasure for twenty years or a headache from the first winter is where you put it, what it sits on, and how you heat it.

Here is how to get those four decisions right: the spot, the base, the power and the weather, plus what delivery day really looks like.

1. Choosing the spot

Start with the delivery path, not the view. Outdoor sauna kits ship on a pallet by freight and are delivered to the curb. The driver lowers the pallet from the truck, but is not allowed to carry it onto your property. Everything then travels from the curb to the spot by hand, in pieces. A corner of the garden that needs a ladder, a narrow side gate or a long climb will make assembly day much longer.

Think about the power run. If you choose an electric heater, a cable has to run from your house to the sauna. The further the sauna sits from your electrical panel, the longer that run. Ask an electrician to look at the spot before you commit to it.

Look at where water goes. A low corner where rain collects is the wrong place. The manufacturer of our outdoor saunas asks for a well-drained base and warns against constant water exposure on the wood. Higher, firm ground is easier to prepare.

Keep plants at a distance. The same manufacturer recommends limiting the growth of plants under and around the sauna, to keep moisture away from the timber. A sauna tucked into a flower bed looks lovely for one season.

Then think about the walk. You will cross the garden in a towel, in January. A short, lit path from the back door matters more than it sounds. So does privacy, especially if your model has a large glass front.

2. The base: level, load-bearing and well-drained

This is the part people underestimate. A sauna is heavy. Among our outdoor cabins, the SaunaLife CL4G ships at about 1,415 lbs, the CL7G at about 2,040 lbs, the G6 at about 2,756 lbs, and the CL12GCP weighs about 3,100 lbs. Add the people inside and the stones in the heater.

The manufacturer's instructions are simple and strict:

• Remove the soil under the sauna and replace it with a well-drained, load-bearing material.
• Make it level. A sauna that is out of level puts stress on the structure, and doors and windows stop closing properly.
• Keep it dry. Proper drainage keeps water away from the wood.

How you meet those three rules depends on your site and your local builders. Compacted gravel, pavers, a concrete pad or a solid deck are common ways to do it. What does not work is setting a cabin straight on the lawn. Some of the larger garden cabins come with their own foundation beams. Read the installation manual of the model you choose before you prepare anything; it is on every product page.

3. Powering the heat

Our outdoor saunas are sold without a heater, so you choose how to heat yours. There are three ways, and each changes the preparation.

An electric heater is the most common choice. Most run on 240V; a few small models, such as the Harvia Vega Compact 1.9kW, run on 120V. The cable must be brought to the sauna as the heater manufacturer's manual requires, and the work belongs to a licensed electrician. The manufacturer of our saunas says the same for the heater and the lighting: hire qualified professionals for the electrical work.

A wood-burning stove needs no electricity to heat, which makes it the natural choice for a cabin far from the house. It needs a chimney instead, and the safety distances given in its manual. Through-the-wall models are loaded from outside the sauna, so no firewood comes into the hot room.

A propane heater such as the SaunaLife Titan SL1 needs no wiring and no chimney. It is made for sauna tents and insulated rooms.

Whichever you choose, size it to the room. Every heater is rated for a range of room volumes, and a heater that is too small never gets the room hot enough. Our guide What Size Sauna Heater Do I Need? shows how to work it out, and each sauna page suggests heaters sized for that cabin.

4. Living with the weather

An outdoor sauna is built for it, but the details matter.

The roof. Our barrel saunas ship with a shingle kit and side drip edges to send rainwater away from the walls. The cabins come with shingles, roofing felt or a self-adhesive roofing membrane, depending on the model. Fit them exactly as the manual says; the roof is what keeps the interior dry.

The floor. The barrels have two floor drains, one under the heater and one near the door. They are there for the water you throw on the stones and the water you bring in from a cold plunge.

The wood. The manufacturer's care guide asks for a few simple habits: ventilate after each session and let the surfaces dry, keep the door closed when the sauna is not in use, clean the benches once a year with a sauna cleaner, and never use a pressure washer, which can damage the wood for good. The black-finish models come with their sauna paint for the outside.

5. Delivery and assembly day

Plan for the curb. As above, the pallet stops at the curb. Have helpers, a hand truck or a dolly ready, and clear the path before the truck arrives. Crates longer than 92 inches cannot be handled with a standard liftgate, so check the dimensions of your model and plan for extra hands or equipment if it is one of the long ones.

Inspect before you sign. If a crate shows visible damage on arrival, note it on the delivery receipt.

Budget the time. Our barrel saunas are designed for a one-day installation by two people. The larger garden cabins take two people about two days. Keep the parts covered and dry until they go up.

For the whole sequence, from measuring to the first heat, see What to Expect During Sauna Installation.

Backyard sauna ideas

Add the cold. The sauna-then-cold rhythm is the reason many people build outdoors in the first place. A cold plunge tub a few steps from the door turns a sauna into a routine. Read Sauna and Cold Plunge before you plan the layout.

Or the hot tub. A wood-burning hot tub and an outdoor barrel shower complete a backyard spa. Our backyard spa collection has them in one place.

Choose a model with a changing room or a porch. Some cabins, like the CL7G, the CL12GCP and the G11, include a changing room, so you are not undressing in the cold. Others, like the G3, have a recessed front porch that keeps the entrance sheltered.

Light the path. Most of our outdoor saunas include LED lighting inside. Outside, a few path lights make the evening walk safer and the cabin far more inviting.

Barrel, cabin or garden sauna?

Barrel saunas are round. They come as a kit for one day of assembly by two people, in sizes from 3 to 6 people, with a window or a full glass front on some models. See our barrel saunas.

Cabin saunas have straight walls and a slanted roof, and some include a changing room.

Garden saunas are the larger, architectural models, with porches, big glass fronts and, for the biggest, room for up to 8 people.

All of them are in our outdoor saunas collection, from 2 to 8 people. If you are still deciding between inside and outside, read Indoor vs Outdoor Saunas. To compare the shapes in detail, see Barrel vs Cabin Sauna.

Common questions

Can I put my sauna directly on the grass?
No. The manufacturer asks for the soil to be removed and replaced with a well-drained, load-bearing base, and for the sauna to sit level.

Do I need a permit for a backyard sauna?
It depends on where you live. Rules on outbuildings, setbacks and electrical work vary by city, county and homeowners' association. Check with your local building department before you order, and let your electrician pull any electrical permit.

How far from the house should it be?
There is no single answer. Local rules may set a minimum distance, the power run gets longer as you move away, and a wood-burning stove has its own chimney clearances. Your building department and your electrician will give you the right figure for your yard.

How long does it take to put together?
About one day for two people for our barrel saunas, and about two days for two people for the larger garden cabins, once the base is ready.

Does the sauna come with a heater?
Our outdoor saunas are sold without one. Each sauna page suggests electric and wood-burning heaters sized for its room.

Before you order

Pick the spot, prepare a level, load-bearing and well-drained base, and decide how you will heat it. Then browse our outdoor saunas and the sauna heaters that go with them, or start with the complete home sauna buying guide.

And if you are not sure your yard is ready, send us a photo of the spot and its dimensions. We will tell you what is realistic before you spend anything.